RE: Project 2015: Premier Rides Coaster for Festa Italia
I'm going to go out on a limb and say that I think Premier is capable of making a larger capacity train for this. Browsing some photos and various comparisons, it may be possible to have trains akin to Full Throttle at SF, which is still a lowly 18 riders but ANYTHING is better than 12. Watching the POV footage, the station length (appears) to be able to accommodate a third car, though I realize there is far more to a ride like this than station length. I just can't help but think that there was some kind of engineering discussion that yielded a concern over 12 riders per cycle being feasible. I know many of you will say the discussion should have stopped this project at the start, but it is what it is and we have to see how they make it better than what's already existing.
I visualize a heavily themed version of this with some decent lighting or audio effects being not a half-bad attraction compared to its Superman-themed corporate siblings.
It's interesting to note that all of BG's coaster additions after AC get smaller and smaller and more "trick pony." That doesn't mean they haven't been without merits, but I feel one of the reasons why rides like AC & Griffon rose attendance was because they stand out (literally) against the landscape. Verbolten is a terrain coaster with little to no visibility until you're right up on it. Call me crazy but the public likes to see rides standing tall and operating as they drive up. I can't tell you how many times I drive by KD and people turn their heads to see I305 and Windseeker peaking above the trees. Busch made this Premier move for the sake of wow factor from afar, no matter how silly it seems crammed up against AC.
People like eye candy, someone in corporate management ran with that reality, and this is what we have. Honestly, I feel the general public is going to love this because it's going to touted as "a thrilling, multi-launch, zero-G inverted experience in the heart of Old-Italia." Joe Q. Public will sign up for that in droves, even if we lovers of the ghosts of BG past may not.